Windshield and hinge therefor



C. P. CHAM BERLIN.

WINDSHIELD AND HINGE THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29. 1916.

1,338,487. Pa ented p .27,1920.

CLARENCE P. CHAMBERL IN, OF-BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN.

WINDSHIELD AND HINGE THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

Application filed December 29, 1916. Serial No. 139,626.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE, P. CHAM- BERLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, county of Oakland, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in l vind shields and Hinges Therefor, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to Windshields for vehicles more particularly to that type in which the sash and frame supporting the same is not truly rectangular in form. In the modern type of automobile body, it has been found desirable more particularly for the sake of design to make Windshields less in width at the bottom than at the top more nearly conforming to the width of the hood or cowl at the bottom and widened at the upper end to correspond to the width of the vehicle top at the point of union with the wind-shield frame which is considerably wider than the cowl by reason of the shield being positioned at an angle thereto. In other forms of windshield, particularly what is known as the V type lately used on inclosed cars, the windshield is irregular in form one side member thereof oftentimes being positioned at a right angle to the horizontal members and the opposite side positioned at an angle thereto. With either type of frame mentioned a common expedient has been to hinge the windshield at the upper edge which results in an undesirable type of hinge. v

The present invention. seeks to provide a hinge for irregularly shaped Windshields adapted to support the side members of the shield in the contiguous side frame members and one that is universally adaptable for use with frame and windshield side members of any degree of angularity one to the other or to a perpendicular. A further object is a windshield hinge adapted for use upon opposite side bars of a windshield, the hinges being similar inform irrespective of angularity of the sash or frame members and adapted to allow the sash to swing about a horizontal axis.

A further object is a simple and inexpensive hinge member adapted to be used with frames of various angles as mentioned, and

adapted to be used with sash and contiguous frames that are out of parallelism without necessity of accurately squaring the side frame with the contiguous shield member and further object is a hinge of the charof the invention in its preferred form are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a geometrical elevation of the lower part of an irregularly shaped windshield and supporting frame therefor showing my improved hinge.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the hinge, a portion thereof removed toshow the interior construction. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation partly in section of the hinge bearing and binding member taken on line ww of Fig. 2. Similar characters refer to similar part throughout the drawing and specification. As shown in Fig. 1 the windshield is pr0- vided with side bars 1 and 2 and is provided with upper and lower sections3 and 4 similar in form. It is to be understood, however, that the hinge is adapted for use with Windshields formed of one or several sections as may be desired. The frame surrounding the shield sections is similar in form and in either-type of windshield, the section or sections turn about the horizontal axis indicated by the dotted line aa in Fig. 1. .On account of the angularity of the side bars 1 and 2 and contiguous frame, the hinge member on each side of the section is formed of a ball member 6 and a socket member 7 indicated more clearly in Fig. 2. The ball member 6 is provided with a base 8 adapted to be secured to the bar or sash of the windshield. The line o through the center of the ball and of the base being at a right angle to the sash of the shield, thus lies. at an angle to the axis of the rotation ofv the section indicated by the dotted line 7) in Fig. 2. It-is to be noted that the line 0 through the center of the ball and base may occupy various positions or he at various angles to the axis of rotation Z) with equal facility by reason of the ball being capable of being turned to a considerable extent in the socket 7. Thus the Of the point or V being greater in diameter than the ball and thus out of contact therewith. By this arrangement the ball is held from lateral movement in the socket and the contacting wall of the aperture provides a means for frictionally holding the ball from rotation in the socket. For this purpose the cap member 10 is provided with a screw 13 securing it to the bdse 9 and a binding screw 14 on the opposite side of the ball by meansof which the cap may be brought tightly into engagement with the ball to bind it in the socket, the cap at the lower end being out of contact with the base member as indicated at 15. By relieving the screw 14: the ball may be loosened in the socket and the windshield section readily turned about an axis indicated by the line aa in Fig. 2 drawn through the centers of the two balls. By reason of thearrangement of the ball and socket shown, the ball may rotate in the socket on an axis coinciding with the axis of rotation of the frame although the axis of the ball and base may lie at various angles to the axis of rotation of the frame. The ball thushas a peculiar motion in the socket rotating in a plane at a right angle to the axis of rotation of the section and may also turn in the socket on an axis at a right angle to the axis of rotation. To illustratein Fig. 2 the point indicated by the arrow 20 is in contact with one edge of the socket. On forward rotation of the windshield section 1, this point will turn on a line at a right angle to the line I) and on being turned half way around the point 20 will be inside the line of contact with the edge of the socket indicating a movement of the ball relative to the socket about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, whereas, if the sash were turned about the axis 0 at an angle to the horizontal the point 20 would remain in contactwith the edge '12 tl'n-oughout the entire revolution.

From this description it will be understood that it is wholly unnecessary for the socket 7 to be positioned exactly parallel with the sash bar in order that the joint may work with proper freedom and the hinge is thus adaptable for use with frames lying at various angles without necessity of any special provision belng made to accommodate the particularangle of the section bars and the frame. The hinge will also operate equally as well with frame and sash members at a right angle to the axis of rotation as at any other possible angle.

lVith a hinge joint constructed substantially as shown and described and having the described universality of action, a manufacturer of hinges or hinge joints for wind shields may make a single form of hinge joint adaptable for use with all the'various designs of windshield sections and frames, and thus the cost of manufacture is lessened to a very material degree enabling the manufacturer to make a standard article universally adapted for indiscriminate use with shields and frames of various designs.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a wind shield, a shield section having side bars positionedat an angle other than a right angle to the top and bottom bars thereof, a frame for the section having side members parallel respectively to the contiguous side of the section, a socket in each frame member, a ball member secured to eachside bar and seating in the respective socket, the axis of the ball and support being at a right angle to the side bars of the section and at an angle to the turning axis of the section.

2. In a wind shield, a shield section having side bars positioned at an angle relatively one to the other, a frame for the said section having similarly positioned side members, a ball having a base secured to each side bar of the section and extending at a right angle thereto, a socket for each ball in the respective side member of the frame, the section swinging about an axis passing between the centers of the two balls, the longitudinal axis through the ball and base being at an angle to the swinging axis of the section.

3. In a wind shield, a shield section having side bars positioned relatively at an angle one to the other, a frame member for the said section having similarly positioned side members, a ball havinga base attached to each side of the section, a socket for the ball in each side frame, the longitudinal axis passing through the center of each ball, and means for releasably binding each ball in its socket.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

CLARENCE P. GHAMBERLIN. 

